Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-01-27
SNUBBING GEN. GRANT.
HIS TREATMENT BY THE PRINCE OF
WALES AT A BANQUET.
The Heir Apparent's Provincial Notions
of Hospitality A Slight of Which
Nothing was Said at the Time OF Its

Inc delF Apparent's FroFlnciA NotAons
of Hospitality A Slight of Which
Nothing was Said at the Time Of Its
Occurrence.
When Gen and Mrs Grant arrived they
passed first into a large ante-chamber in
which the Prince of Wales happened to be
playing with his two boys The other guests
had not arrived, and the prince may not have
expected to be in this hall when Gen. Grant
came in; or he may possibly have planned
the accidental reception. He came forward
at once, like any other gentleman in his own
house, and gave his hand to Gen. Grant, who
presented Mrs. Grant, and mentioned my
name, which the prince had known before.
Then the prince called up his sons, lads at
that time of 10 or u, and said he wished
them to know Gen. Grant He was extreme
ly genial and affable. After this he disap-
peared through a side door, and an eQuerry
ushered the party into long waiting room
We remained nearly half an hour.
The dinner party was large; should think
there were thirty people present, including
several dukes and duchesses and other nobili-
ty; the Brazilian minister and his wife were
asked, doubtless out of compliment to the
Emperor, for whom the dinner was given.
After while a gentleman in waiting ap-
peared and said the princess desired that the
ladies should arrange themselves on one side
of the room and the men on the other, so
Gen and Mrs. Grant took their places four
or five from the head of the line. After
apparently ten minutes further waiting in
this position, all standing, for no one had
been seated or been asked to sit since we
entered, the great doors at the top Of the line
on the right were thrown open and the
empress of Brazil came in on the arm of the
Prince of Wales Next came the princess
with the emperor. They passed directly
between the two lines to the dining room,
which was opposite the apartment from
which they entered; the empress of Brazil,
however, had known Mrs Grant in America
when the ladies had each been the wife Of a
great ruler, and she stopped short when she
came TO Mrs Grant and greeted her, but the
other royal and imperial personages, includ-
ing the hostess, passed in without recogniz-
ing anybody. Then number of dukes and
lesser mobiles were told off to their partners
and followed the empress and the prince.
After every noble person present was thus
assigned Gen. Grant was requested to go in
with Mrs. Pierrepont, and Mrs. Grant with
the Brazilian minister, whom the emperor of
Brazil looked upon as his servant.
PRECEDENCE OF DUKES.
The British government had agreed with
Mr.. Pierrepont that the ex-president of the
United States should have precedence of
dukes, but the Prince of Wales deliberately
put him as nearly as possible to the foot of
the table. There was no English person of
noble rank who followed Gen Grant He sat
within three or four feet of tbe comptroller
of the household, who was at the extreme
foot; the prince and princess were at the
middle with the emperor and empress. The
Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess
of Manchester, the Earl and Countess of
Derby, the Earl of Dudley, were all placed
higher than Gen. Grant. When the ladies
left the table every one rose, of course, and
the empress and princess passed out and Mrs.
Grant was left to I'd her way like any other
person of insigni6cance. Then the Prince of
Wales changed his own seat, according to the
English custom, and took that by the side of
the emperor which the princess had vacated
In a moment or two he sent an equerry or a
footman, forget which, to ask Gen. Grant
to sit by the other side of him in his new
place, and Gen. Grant left his seat and walked
around the table and accepted this high honor,
Just as any other private gentleman might
have done. The prince then was very gracious
in his talk and manner.
After a while the gentlemen rejoined the
ladies in the order in which they had come
in, the dukes and earls taking care to assert
their rights of precedence. In one of the
drawing rooms there was music; here the
princess and the empress sat apart and list
tned or talked, and the emperor remained
near them Neither General nor Mrs. Grant
was invited to join this select company. The
prince came out of it once or twice and
talked with some of his guests, among others
with Gen. Grant; but he said no word to Mrs
Grant, and neither the general nor Mrs
Grant was presented to the princely hostess
The prince presented Gen. Grant to the Earl
of Dudley, one of the worst bred men in any
company in any country; and his lordship
vas worthy of his reputation on this occa-
Eion for he almost turned on his heel He
did not offer his hand, but simply ecknowl-
edged his princes introduction with Slight
bow, almost a nod, and not one word, and
left the group. 1t was by far the most
marked impertinence Gen. Grant had re-
ceived in sixteen years
THE PRINCESS LEAVE
When the empress had heard enough of the
music she and the princess arose and bowed
to the company. Everybody else made pro-
found 'salaams, and the whole imperial and
royal party disappeared and did not return.
Mrs. Grant now desired also to leave but the
ladies in waiting assured her that the prin-
cess would return. They appeared to appre-
ciate the behavior of their mistress and to
think it could not possibly be carried further.
Mrs. Grant, therefore, delayed four or five
minutes longer. Then finding that her hosts
had no idea of continuing their hospitality,
she took Gen. Grants arm and retired
followed them. After we had reached the
ante room and were moving toward the
cloaking rooms, one Of the courtiers came up
and said that the princess desired to bid Mrs
Grant good night. Accordingly, we delayed
in the ante-room till the prince and princess
came out. The royal hosts smiled graciously,
bowed and courtesied gracefully, and wished
their democratic guests good night, and that
was the end of Gen. Grants dinner with the
Prince of Wales.
The prince probably did not wish to be
rude. At this very dinner be desired the
general to keep night for public banquet
at which he wished him to be present, and so
far as mere manner was concerned he had
been perfectly affable and genial 1t was the
point of etiquette he was determined to main
tain. Gen. Grant was not royal and the
prince was determined not to treat him as if
le were.
In accordance with the wish of the general
lone of his party mentioned the circunn-
stances have described. Probably some of
he English present were not SO reticent, for
The story got about and there were comments
IN it in the American newspapers. Upon
this the prince wrote to the minister and ex-
pressed his concern. He said he could not
give precedence to Gen. Grant over the en-
peror, and tried to explain. But there was
no necessity to invite Gen. Grant at the same
time with the emperor, there was, in fact, no
necessity to invite him at all if he could not
receive in the house of the heir to the throne
5he same distinction that was offered him in
every other house in England, and which the
Prince of Wales must have known that the
English government had pledged itself to ac-
.ord.-Alam Badeau's Letter.
Willing to Pay Fair Price.
The hotel clerk was studying his chin
through small hand mirror when a guest